Light and Playful

Fair Play by Tove Jansson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Tove Jansson is famous for writing the universally loved Moomin books but she deserves to also be known for her stories and novels for adults. What most people don't know is that Tove was gay and had a long and loving relationship with another artist, Tuulikki Pietilä. In her seventies, Tove wrote her final book, this short collection of interconnected stories that paint the life and love of two women, Mari (Tove) and Jonna (Tuulikki).

Like her other collections, The Summer Book and A Winter Book, the stories mostly revolve around an island in Finland where Tove and Tuulikki lived most of their lives. Little episodes meditate on art, love, life, death and friendship. One of my favourite stories is "In The Great City of Phoenix", when the two women travel through America and end up in a faded hotel called the Majestic. Verity, the chamber maid who likes to play tricks on the guests, is brought to life in just a few sentences and could have easily had a whole book dedicated to her.

Such an easy, pleasurable read.

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